Chick, Please: Bird Hatches Boom at Zoo

Thursday, August 10, 2017

by Lincoln Park Zoo

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New Arrivals

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Lincoln Park Zoo is now home to three lucky ducks. Three critically endangered Baer’s pochard chicks (pictured above and below) hatched July 29 and are being hand-reared by keepers behind-the-scenes at McCormick Bird House.

These are the first Baer’s pochard chicks to hatch at Lincoln Park Zoo and are a part of the Baer’s Pochard Species Survival Plan (SSP)®. SSPs are cooperative efforts to manage Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited-zoo populations using demographic and genetic analyses conducted by scientists at Lincoln Park Zoo’s Population Management Center. The sex and measurements of the chicks are yet to be determined.

“These chicks are a huge success story for the Baer’s pochard species, which is critically endangered in the wild due to hunting and habitat loss.” says Hope B. McCormick Curator of Birds Sunny Nelson. “We’re excited to work closely with other zoos and aquariums to provide a future for this species and encourage guests to stop by to learn more about these birds.”

Named after Estonian naturalist Karl Ernst von Baer, the Baer’s pochard is a diving duck species native to the wetlands of eastern Asia. They have dark heads, necks and backs with light brownish-red and white sides. Visitors can view the two male and two female adult Baer’s pochards, which recently arrived at Lincoln Park Zoo in June, daily from 10 a.m–5 p.m in the Wetlands exhibit at McCormick Bird House.

In other news from the nest, Lincoln Park Zoo visitors flocking to Waterfowl Lagoon will soon notice tufts of white among the bright pink, as Chilean flamingo chicks, also a part of the Chilean Flamingo SSP, begin to acclimate to their outdoor habitat.

Lincoln Park Zoo welcomed the first of these hatchlings (including the one pictured above) on July 5. The chicks will remain behind-the-scenes, hand-reared by keepers, as they grow in size and strength. Other eggs remain behind-the-scenes in incubation. Three of the chicks have been identified as female and the others have yet to be sexed. They will be on exhibit intermittently with the rest of the adult flock, which visitors can see from 7 a.m.–6 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m.–7 p.m. on weekends.

Chilean flamingos are native to Peru, Brazil and Argentina and live in large flocks. They are born with white-gray plumage, displaying the iconic bright pink coloration at around two years of age. Chilean flamingos can occupy habitats ranging from sea level up to 14,000 feet in the Andes. Their ability to tolerate extreme conditions makes them well-suited for Chicago’s harsh winters.

When it comes to exciting avian announcements, the male Guam Micronesian kingfisher chick, hatched May 29 and pictured above, fits the bill. Guam Micronesian kingfishers are extinct in the wild due to the introduction of the brown tree snake to their native island of Guam. Only roughly 100 individuals remain in accredited zoos. Lincoln Park Zoo participates in the Guam Micronesian Kingfisher SSP to help increase this population. The male chick, now independent, currently resides behind-the-scenes at McCormick Bird House.

Guam Micronesian kingfishers are sexually dimorphic; males and females differ in appearance. Both sexes display greenish-blue backs and wings, but males have reddish heads and chests and females have paler heads and white chests.